LiLing

Leonid, reading your beautifully written post was the next best thing to being there. Thank you so much.

What point is he trying to make here? Is it that the conventionality of the evening’s program belied the First Lady’s contention that arts education develops the ability to think innovatively? Or is it that only innovative art or conventional art presented innovatively will produce innovative thinkers? Or is it that the gala wasn't arts educational enough?

I took it to mean the first. Mrs. Obama's praise of the value of arts education was prompted by the appearance of students from the Co. school, and Macauley was making the point that the the gala performance, and repertoire scheduled for the season hardly showed the innovative thinking she referred to. He also pointed out that one of the works the students danced was "scarcely choreography" consisting of conventional classroom steps.

I am with Macauley in wishing to see more adventurous programing, in the tradition of the old Ballet Theatre, a museum with a modern wing. I am also aware of the financial reasons for staying with the safe crowd pleasers.

As for a compere, I may be cynical, but I don't think the socialites, and the husbands they drag along, who pay big bucks to attend galas are there to be educated. Well, maybe if it was Hugh Jackman.

It isn't unusual for people outside the dance world to refer to any little girl who takes ballet classes as a ballerina, and it isn't a grande jete to labeling a member of a famous company as a prima ballerina.

Ms Gilliland is probably embarrassed, but she shouldn't be. It is a worthy charity, and I hope it raises lots of money.

Ansanelli was a favorite of mine at NYCB, and I was very disappointed when she left. I admire her courage in going to the Royal, where she would have to assimilate a very different style, and take a soloist contract, having been a principal at NYCB, so I was delighted when she was promoted to principal.

I too hope she will return to dancing after a break, but whatever her future holds, I wish her happiness.

Thanks so much Innopac. I am an avid book collector, and this will be invaluable!

I stand corrected, flash photography and video are two different issues. I think I lumped them together because they have both upset me, flashes while on stage, distracting cameras while in the audience.

Cubanmiamiboy makes a good point about the historical value of pirated video. There is an issue of the dancer's and choreographer's rights however. They have not approved the quality of, or been compensated for these videos.

Another point, the union regulations (at least in the US) for filming make it quite expensive for companies, and maybe those regulations are out of date, and need to be revised, given the advances in the development of equipment and the increased importance of video. If only companies could release their own videos in quantity there would be less pirates, more happy fans, and a source of income for the co.

...but what about some "Summum Bonum", or even some Bentham-Mill Social Utilitarianism...you know,"the greatest happiness of the greatest number" thing...?

The important thing to remember is that it is dangerous for the dancers. No photo or UTube video is worth someone getting injured, no matter how many of us enjoy them.

Tanny, and anyone else who might not have seen it, the documentary Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About, recently shown on PBS, has some wonderful footage of Tanaquil. It is coming out on DVD, and can be ordered through Amazon. (There is a link in the Robbins thread under The Heads Up forum.)

Thanks everyone for the input.

...... unemployment premiums a ballet company (the employer) pays must be quite high. I guess this is just considered a "normal" business expense in this industry.

P.S. In my experience most folks who collect unemployment insurance have no idea that doing so ultimately costs their employer.

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Yes, dance co.s do pay the highest unemployment insurance rates. When I, as a new co member was reluctant to apply for unemployment during a layoff, the co. manager explained to me that he worked hard to make sure we had enough work weeks to be covered, the co. paid the highest rates, and I'd #@% better collect what I was entitled to!

The executive dir., Trevor Carlson, was quoted as saying the co. was not downsizing, and that it was not an economic decision, but an artistic one, made by Merce. I find this believable because, 1. the difference in salary in a small co. between new and veteran dancers is negligible, and 2. these three dancers are not "dead wood", they have been dancing well and receiving good reviews. It would therefore reflect better on the management, and Merce, if they used the economic excuse.

Of course a choreographer/artistic dir. can choose to use or not use dancers for various reasons, some of which can be very personal. That is their prerogative.

The fact that Mr. Carlson released the names of the dancers to the press, and damaged their professional reputations by announced that their contracts would not be renewed for "artistic reasons" however, I find unconscionable!

Pearl was a beautiful dancer, a gifted choreographer and a brilliant teacher. Her passionate commitment to the work, whether Martha's or her own, was an inspiration to those of us who were privileged to work with her. A light is gone from the dance world.

Rest in peace dear Pearl.

I would give whatever amount NYCB needs to rescue eleven broken hearts. Then I would give the rest to help get DTH back on their feet/points. That will require some matching grants, in case some of you can't think what to do with your ten mil.

I think some of the ability to move outside the confines of classical ballet technique has to do with early training. Dancers who had classes in other forms during their student years, such as modern, Spanish, jazz etc. in addition to ballet tend to be much more able to move outside that box.

There is also the part played by natural ability. There are many aspects to dance talent, and even professional dancers have their individual strengths and weaknesses. Some are "quick studies" able to pick up movement very quickly, others not so much. (This can be one reason certain corps dancers get a lot to do.) Some pick up on stylistic elements visually, others need to analyze them from a technical point of view. Sometimes it has to do with a dancer's mental attitude. It can be hard for some professional dancers to stick there necks out (no pun intended), and risk not looking good, so they may be very inhibited doing any form of dance they don't feel confident in.

Re: The Obama Biden platform for support of the Arts.

No, we probably aren't going to see increased funding in the next couple of years, but hopefully down the road, there will be increased attention to arts funding. We can fantasize anyway!

"The real purpose of arts education is to create complete human beings capable of leading successful and productive lives in a free society".

I find this very encouraging. I'm especially pleased by this emphasis on the value of arts education, rather than the usual justification of supporting arts only because of economic benefits.

It would be wonderful if USIA tours were resumed. They made a real impact in areas where the general image of the US was negative. I remember letters sent to the embassies in countries where we toured expressing surprise that America produced sensitive and humane art. It really did change some negative views of the US. They were also a huge benefit to the Co.s, and the dancers in them, ( the per diems were based on what gov. employees got, and were very generous. Since dancers don't eat as much as foreign service types, we were able to come home with a nice little nest egg! )

"streamline the visa process for artists" Yes! It has been a nightmare for artists and those who would present them since the 9/11 changes.

Some years ago I took a friend from out of town to see a program that included Symphony in C, with Kistler doing the second movement PDD. She was breathtaking, and my friend, not a ballet fan, said it was so beautiful she had tears in her eyes!

I do hope Darci finds satisfaction in her future teaching and coaching, and I envy the students who are going to benefit from her guidance.

Steven Caras, formerly NYCB, photographer,

Linda Hamilton, PhD, psychologist, formerly NYCB

Rosalie O'Connor, photographer, formerly ABT

Then there is the sad case of Rahm Emanuel, who apparently was a serious and talented ballet student, but alas, his dream didn't come true. He is now Obama's chief of staff.

The AGMA contract stipulates the allowable fines for lateness. It is up to management however to enforce the rules, or not. Some companies are very "work to rule", others are more relaxed. Being late to a studio rehearsal might be excused, but to a stage rehearsal with orchestra, which costs a lot of $, would result in a fine. I think this is the case with most theatrical unions, whether covering dance, opera, theatre, or orchestras.

I agree with Acocella's condemnation of dancers who "woo us, grin at us, give us saucy looks." I did cringe at her naming names though. That just seemed unnecessarily harsh.

Facial expression and focus should be an integral part of the total performance, and appropriate for the work, and the role, not something arbitrarily plastered on.

I second Kathleen O'C's list, and add Robbins.

If performed in the White House, choices of repertoire are somewhat limited by a small stage with no wings.

In that case, for a full length work, Graham's Appalachian Spring. It isn't too long, and there are no entrances or exits except at the beginning and end.

As a dancer, I find the following extremely offensive.

After listing some literary sources for Balanchine's quotes, Croce writes, "The range gives some indication of Balanchine's erudition, especially remarkable for a dancer."

I would write an irate letter, but I'm afraid I'm not sufficiently erudite. :u(

All in all, it was a very enjoyable afternoon at the ballet. I hope Peter Martins doesn't wait another five years to revive "Coppelia".

I hope he doesn't take another five years to promote Teresa Reichlein. She has a lot of fans on here. Maybe we can organize a demonstration in front of the theater. March back and forth with signs PROMOTE TESS!

I vote for a restoration of the old NEA touring program, but on a much grander scale. Not only does this help subsidize companies, but the education of audiences has long term benefits. We can't expect taxpayers to support government support for arts that they never have a chance to see.

As for the infrastructure aspect, build suitable theaters where there aren't any. I read recently that The Paul Taylor Co. has toured to sixty countries, but not to West Virginia, or South Dakota. I say build a theater in Rapid City, and send PT!

I think the hardest thing new company members struggle with is spacing in relation to others, that is keeping the correct distance between themselves and the body in front, or beside them while traveling. This gets easier with experience. Experienced dancers can usually handle going into an unfamiliar spot, or the adjustments to stages of different sizes and proportions on tour easily, and can make instant adjustments when something goes wrong. According to Gardner's theory on spatial intelligence, this could be considered a component of dance talent.

What I took Cubanmiamiboy to mean was pointe work means ballet, not ballet means pointe work...right?.

Obviously men in classical ballet don't generally dance on pointe.

I do hope you don't think only ballet is "real" dancing. I realize this is a ballet forum, but there is a world of wonderful dance to be experienced in addition to classical ballet.

I think it is a given that a ballet choreographed for the stage is going to be experienced differently on video. Especially one with the stage illusions of a Nutcracker. I find the adults simpering portrayals of children in ABT's video unbearable ( but not Gelsey ). It didn't appear so phony from the distance of the stage, but still, I prefer to see children played by children.

I also love the GB, and can still be transported and moved by it after many years of viewing. Theatre is a communal activity, and a Nutcracker performance is best when you are surrounded by excited children. The video is spoiled in my opinion by Macaulay Culkin's smug self conscious performance, especially as the SAB children are so natural.

I enjoyed the San Francisco broadcast tremendously. I would love to see that one on stage!